Analysing Magazine Covers

NME (New Musical Express) is a magazine which has been sold in the UK since 1952. The title clearly states that it is a music magazine, revealing articles on new artists and genres. Looking at the front cover we learn that there will be articles on the bands featured on the cover. These bands/artists are old and new. As the lead singer of punk rock band My Chemical Romance is on the cover we know that the main article will be on this band. The magazine is aimed at 15-26 year old males. This audience will be interested all types of genres related to rock music which the magazine is well known for such as punk, indie and metal which gives readers a wide choice of music so they are more likely to find the artist they like. The puffs on the cover show this with punk bands like My Chemical Romance and indie bands like Vampire Weekend.

The man on the cover is using a direct mode of address which tells us that the magazine wants a personal relationship with its reader. However, the way he is standing is not meant to be friendly. The long shot shows him standing with the left side of his face showing. This could connote the 'other side' of music or alternative. His facial expression makes him seem mysterious as he is not smiling and the other side of is face is dark.This could connote that there is another side to him that we are unaware of. The central image on the cover shows Gerard Way, lead singer on punk rock band My Chemical Romance. This is because My Chemical Romance have a new album and have changed their style of music. The anchorage text reads 'My Chemical Romance on their Punk comeback album'. This shows what the artists target audience will be interested in: Punk. It shows that their style of music has changed and that they have not been seen in the music world for a while. This will attract readers who know of the band as they will have been waiting for the release of this album. The overall message given by the artist is that there is more to him that meets the eye. His mysterious facial expression and the way he is standing shows that he doesn't want to be like other artists, and he wants to connect with the audience but keep part of his personality hidden from them. The way he is dressed also gives us an idea of his stand out character as the outfit seems to be different from most rock stars. His grungy hair style and vampire like make-up shows that he doesn't care about what people think. The buzz word 'New' hints to the audience that they are going to see something exclusive in this magazine making them want to buy it. The title block is red, white and black and as these colours represent different meanings it shows that the magazine is made up of different genres. The colours red and black stereotypically represent the 'goth, emo' genre but white is a peaceful colour and this matches the different genres featured on the cover with bands such as My Chemical Romance, Maccabees, Kid Cudi and Vampire Weekend.

The slogan at the top of the magazine reads 'New Gorillaz Art & Interview'. As this band have not been seen in the music world since their last album release 'Demon Days' in 2005 this draws in readers who may know of the band as this is their long awaited comeback. This shows that the magazine will be about new genres and new music which relates to the title 'New Musical Express'. NME use a wide choice of bands and artists from different genres to attract a wider audience. This a successful selling point as people with different tastes in music are more likely to find this magazine interesting. The many bands and artists shown in the puffs, the exclusive interviews and special features are all good selling points as they make the readers feel as if they are getting their moneys worth.

Q is a music based British magazine published monthly in the UK. The title of the magazine 'Q'; originally it was meant to be called Cue (as in the sense of queing a record, ready to play. The magazine is aimed at 16 plus, due to the variety of music they cover. This audience will have interests in different genre's of music which Q cover as we see on the magazine a wide range of artists from Snow Patrol to 50 Cent. They will also be interested in reading more serious articles and we can see on the cover that the main interest is new releases, upcoming artists and interviews.

The woman in the main image is using a direct mode of address. As she is looking straight at the audience it tells us that she wants a personal relationship with its reader. The woman on the cover is a famous Pop singer named Cheryl Cole. Although she is known by readers as a star from the pop group Girls Aloud she is portrayed as a more serious artist. She is on the cover as her image has changed over the years and this would be a good way to show people. The anchorage text reads '3 words... Cheryl Cole Rocks'. This implies that the artists music rocks which portrays her as a rockstar. This different image draws in an audience who aren't interested in her pop music.

The overall message the artist is giving is that she is much more serious and her sex appeal. This is shown on the image as she is'nt smiling, the dark colours such as black and red suggest a mysterious, darker side to her. She is wearing red lipstick which can be seductive making her seem sexy. This new 'rock-chick' look is inspired by the film 'Sin City' which is known by readers. The horror movie styled image shows her in a different way to the audience which attracts them to the magazine. She is licking a sharp pointed ring making her look more sexual. This could also represent her independance and reflect the new style of her music.

The image represents women as independant and sexy as Cheryl is shown in this way. It may also show that the rock-star look is more powerful than the pop-star look. This is shown by the new style of Cheryl Cole making her appear much more powerful than she was in her pop career with Girls Aloud.

The title block is a loud red and a simple white which shows that the magazine may have a contrast of loud to quiet artists. The two colours could also represent the English fag which appeals to the magazines British audience. This goes well with the image of Cheryl Cole who is portrayed as a rock-chick, typically loud, and yet she is well known for her pop music. The title of the magazine is a one letter word which stands out on the news stands as most magazine titles are a one letter word. This may suggest that the artists in the magazine stand out along with the image of the magazine.

The puff words shown such as Vampire Weekend, Muse and 50 Cent suggest that the magazine will consist of a wide range of artists. This tells us that the magazine expects to get an audience who are interested in more than one genre, this audience are usually older and more mature. Another puff tells us that the magazine will feature new acts, the puff reads 'The 10 Best New Acts' and also already successful artists such as U2 and The White Stripes. The buzz word 'Best' lets the audience know that the magazine will be worth buying as they are giving only the best new acts. The slogan positioned across the top of the magazine reads 'The UK''s Biggest Music Magazine'. This states clearly that the magazine is targeted at a British audience and is based on music. It is also a good selling point as it attracts readers with the term 'Biggest' which suggests that Q is the best selling music magazine in the UK.

The colours on the magazine are red, black and white. The red matches the sex appeal of Cheryl Cole and the black matches her powerful image. As these colours stand out on the cover so does Cheryl. These colours create a scary and dark atmosphere which highlight Cheryl's new image making her appear much more powerful.

The font is bold and simple making it easy and quick to read which is good for people walking past the news stands who will easily spot the magazine. This font appeals to everyone so will attract many readers. The magazine uses a range of different artists in the puffs which targets audiences with different tastes. There is an artist for everyone which is a good selling point. The magazine excites the audience with a preview of the best new acts of 2010 before the year has begun which makes the audience feel ahead of everyone else.